I have a confession to make; I was bullied when I was in grammar school, and I went to both state run and private schools during my time in grammar school. In both, I was bulled and the staff did little to nothing to stop it. I also grew up with homosexual attractions while I was in the private grammar school which was also a very conservative Roman Catholic School. But I survived and I am still very thankful for my Roman Catholic education for providing me an great education not only on the “ 3 R’S” but on moral values and ethics.

Now, I must say, at the time, the bullying seemed to have no real value. I was bullied because of me weight, of a tumor I had on right side of my cheek, a small pony tail that I used to have, of my learning disability and my alleged and actually true homosexual “crush” on another student, which was actually my first “crush.” But unlike today, I fought back. Well, I did not really fight anyone, I “ripped” on them back.

Today, I hardly talk to them and when I do, we just laugh at it. People mature and people move on. I strongly believe that a bully in his childhood is a bully in his/her adulthood. And if they are, they are most likely just passive-aggressive arses.

Without the bullying that I went through as a child and early teenager, I would not able to survive in adult world today. I had have supervisors that were just plain dicks, and guess what, I am still living. If you can’t handle grammar, middle and high school and the bullies that come with it, then I’m sorry, you are the problem, not the bully.

Currently, especially in the U.S, we seem to have an all of a sudden focus on children and teenagers that are homosexual. There are claims that we need to protect them from the bullies because if someone “harasses” based on their sexuality, they are “harmed” so how. That they need to be a protected class because…well I haven’t really heard a reason why from the advocate for it.

Firstly, I grew up homosexual in a Roman Catholic private school, I was told every day that people like myself was going to hell. In fact, my private school and parish went one step further and preached that even having homosexual attractions was a sin, let alone acting on them. So, I felt like crap and at times, I did want to kill myself. But guess what? I survived through the medicine.

Yes, I am saying that the bullying of homosexual teens is beneficial to them, because it will teach them how to fight back and that not everyone is going to accept homosexuality just because it is “the right and smart thing to do”. There is going to ignorant people out there and people are going to “cling to their religion”, deal with it. It will also teach them not to be ahem...overly expressive in professional environments.

Unfortunately, there is a small kernel of truth here in that bullying doesn't end in childhood. The solution is to tackle bullying at all levels. It's not acceptable in a child and it is not acceptable in an adult.

Your bullies were not psychopaths, lucky for you. I can't say the same. You are justifying animalistic behavior and dominance by force. When is that ever right? Condoning schoolyard bullying is telling a whole group of people, sociopaths and psychopaths included at the upper end of the spectrum, that their disgusting behavior is okay. They will remember that when they raise their own children, and the pissed-on behavior will flow downhill.

"Yes, I am saying that the bullying of homosexual teens is beneficial to them, because it will teach them how to fight back and that not everyone is going to accept homosexuality just because it is “the right and smart thing to do”. There is going to ignorant people out there and people are going to “cling to their religion”, deal with it"

Just as these LGBT people have learned from their past bullying:

As they have done for Amnesty International here ('Love is a human right. Protect the Human'), no doubt they'll be doing for Stonewall, re. their new advert slogan:

'Some people are Gay. Get over it.'

As their pink Abbot Self-propelled Gun will be getting over those who dare to think otherwise. Kinda hard to bully someone inside tons of steel & armour eh, homophobes?! >:D

@Musicalbookworm

"Unfortunately, there is a small kernel of truth here in that bullying doesn't end in childhood. The solution is to tackle bullying at all levels. It's not acceptable in a child and it is not acceptable in an adult."

There are moves here in the UK to make Bullying - at all levels - a specific criminal offence. As per anti-discrimination laws (racism/sexism/homophobia), legislate against the act itself, you'll make people think twice about committing the crime. Deterrence, a la 'M.A.D.'. Yep. make the Thoughtcrime a deterrent, then you'll eliminate the unjustifiable attitude in the first place. Fred Phelps & co, I'm lookimg at you; even if that ban from entering my country is lifted, you're fucked. As in Sections 4 & 5 of the Public Order Act. And not even the European Court of Human Rights will protect you, neither; as you're not European, and your precious 1st Amendment (which you hypocritically warp for your own nefarious ends) has no jurisdiction here. Funny, for a country you 'hate' so much, you seem to rely on it's laws so much, do you not...?!.

Moral: Via legislation - The overturning of Prop. 8, DADT & DOMA ruled as unconstitutional - the bullied are now bullying the bullies themselves. Good. Right-wing fundie homophobes, we're looking at you. The glove's on the other foot now. >:D

If you think the victim is the problem, not the bully, then you are the problem, not the solution.

"Yes, I am saying that the bullying of homosexual teens is beneficial to them, because it will teach them how to fight back and that not everyone is going to accept homosexuality just because it is “the right and smart thing to do”. "

You might have a point. If bullies are beaten down they probably will stop bullying.

But what if you're short and skinny and can't beat someone up? What if there are 5 bullies and one of you? What if the school disciplines you but lets the bullies run free?

"That they need to be a protected class because…well I haven’t really heard a reason why from the advocate for it."

- Because bullying increases the likelihood that they will kill themselves. People who put value on life do not want to see others kill themselves.

Now, since you are a religious nut, we can assume that you place no value on life in this world, so let me spread some religious fluff for you. Your beloved Catholic church condemns suicide as a mortal sin (a guaranteed ticket to hell for all non-Catholics out there). Bullying increases the likelihood of suicide astronomically. Therefore, every time you and your fellow churchies promote the idea that "bullying builds character," either in word or deed, you are helping more people on their way to hell.

Tell me, is directing people to hell something Christ-like? Think hard now Anglican, unless of course you took one too many blows to the head as a child.

@ Anon-e-moose:
Bullying is bad and everything, but I think making it a crime (especially if that is applied to children) is a bit stupid, is anything not a crime in the UK now? Surely it's enough that bullying someone in the workplace will result in the sack, why do we need to legislate every aspect of life?
For the instances where people have been bullied to suicide I can wholeheartedly agree with bringing criminal charges, but how long before children are given criminal records for calling one another names?
The UK is slowly becoming a softer version of a police state, and I personally can't wait to emigrate!

Unjustifiable attitudes are the individual's right, if people wish to think obnoxious and stupid things then they can feel free to do so, it's when they start to act on those opinions that they should come to grief with the law.

I can't believe somebody here thinks there can be anything good in the concept of Thoughtcrime, if you genuinely do then I suggest that you re-read 1984, because you have clearly not understood it.

Not fundie. This sounds much more like a person who was bullied for so long just coming to expect that it's normal, that it was a positive thing, and that it was the victims' fault. I mostly feel sorry for what he went through.

Screw you. As someone who was bullied in junior high and high school so that I became introverted to the point where even today my wife complains that I don't open up to her enough, anyone advocating bullying is just evil.

Not everyone develops thick skin. Some kids take the bullying to heart and believe that there's really something wrong with them, even to the point of suicide.

Bullying is physical and emotional torment and torture that can really f people up. Few people 'get stronger' from it like you assume. Though I'll admit criminalizing it is dumb, it's up to schools and others to combat it.

I somehow escaped bullying, despite having Asberger's and being homosexual. Though I didn't really figure out the latter until I was sixteen. Not questioning sexuality does that to a degree. Still, seems a tad hard to avoid it when you are constantly doing weird, inapproiate things because you really don't know better. No volume control is fun!

So are you saying you are still gay or did the bullying "cure" you?
No one deserves to be bullied, I was bullied relentlessly for years for being intelligent and pacifist in the West of Scotland. As a result I've had to cope with depression for most of my adult life. It wasn't beneficial, it didn't teach me how to fight back because my instincts dictated to me that all violence was wrong, I would rather absorb the hate than pass it on to others. So, in that respect, you are talking right out of your ass.